PechaKucha Player Guide
A web-based presentation tool with automatic slide timing
Quick Start
Get a presentation running in under a minute:
- Upload images. Drag files into the drop zone or click "Choose Files." Name files with numbers (1.jpg, 2.jpg...) for automatic sorting.
- Reorder if needed. Drag thumbnails to rearrange. The slide number updates as you go.
- Press Start Presentation. Your slides auto-advance every 20 seconds (the classic PechaKucha timing). Press Space to pause, Esc to exit.
That's the basics. Everything below covers the optional settings that let you customize timing, display modes, speaker notes, and more.
What is PechaKucha?
PechaKucha (Japanese for "chit-chat") is a presentation format created by Klein-Dytham Architecture in Tokyo in 2003. The classic format uses 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each, totaling 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
The key constraint: slides auto-advance whether the speaker is ready or not. This forces concise storytelling and keeps presentations energetic. The format has spread to over 1,000 cities worldwide.
This tool lets you create PechaKucha-style presentations with customizable timing, six image display modes, speaker notes, and two presentation modes.
Organizing Slides
Reordering
Drag any thumbnail to a new position. A blue indicator shows where the slide will land. You can also use the arrow keys on a focused thumbnail to reorder with the keyboard.
Deleting Slides
Hover over a thumbnail to reveal the delete button in the top-right corner. Undo with Ctrl/Cmd + Z or by clicking "Undo" in the toast notification.
Adding More Slides
Click the "+ Add more" card at the end of your slides, or drag additional images anywhere on the page.
Preview
Hover over a thumbnail and click the eye icon to view a full-size preview. Press Esc or click outside to close.
Supported Formats
The player accepts any image format your browser supports: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, and SVG.
Slide Settings
Click any slide thumbnail to open the notes panel. Here you can configure per-slide options:
Speaker Notes
Type talking points for each slide. Notes are visible in the right panel during Practice mode and in the presenter view during Present mode. You can also edit notes live during a presentation.
Slides with notes show a small blue dot on their thumbnail.
Custom Duration
Override the global timing for a specific slide. Useful when a complex diagram needs extra time or a transition slide only needs a few seconds. You can type a value or drag up/down on the input to adjust.
Slides with custom durations show a small orange dot on their thumbnail.
Per-Slide Display Mode
Override the global display mode for individual slides. The dropdown defaults to "Default" (which follows the global setting). Choosing a specific mode like Smart Crop or Letterbox applies only to that slide.
Slides with a custom display mode show a green outline on their thumbnail number.
Display Mode Preview
Below the display mode dropdown, a live preview shows exactly how the slide will appear during presentation. The preview updates in real time as you change modes. For Smart Crop, click the preview image to set the focal point.
Title Slide
Click "Set as Title Slide" to designate the selected slide as a title card displayed before the timed presentation begins. The title slide does not count against your presentation time. It appears in the dedicated slot on the left side of the slide grid. Click the X on the title slide thumbnail to return it to the main sequence.
Keep notes brief. The auto-advancing format means you only have seconds per slide, so bullet points work better than paragraphs.
Display Modes
Six modes control how images appear on screen. Set a global default in the Settings panel, or override per-slide in the notes panel. The thumbnails in the slide grid reflect the active display mode so you can see the effect before presenting.
Fit (default)
Shows the entire image, adding empty space on the sides or top/bottom if the aspect ratio doesn't match the screen. Nothing gets cropped.
Letterbox
Same as Fit, but the empty space is filled with black. Good for a cinema look when images are wider than the screen.
Fill
Scales the image to cover the entire screen, cropping any overflow. Centered by default.
Smart Crop
Like Fill, but you control which part of the image stays visible. Click the preview image in the notes panel to set a focal point. The crop anchors to that point, so the most important part of the image is always on screen. The crosshair marker and preview update in real time as you click.
Ken Burns
Applies a slow zoom effect (from 1x to 1.15x scale) over the duration of the slide. Creates a sense of movement, especially effective for photographs and artwork. The preview in the notes panel shows the animation so you can see the effect.
Native
Shows the image at its original pixel size, centered on screen. If the image is smaller than the screen, empty space surrounds it. If larger, it gets capped to the screen dimensions. Useful for screenshots or pixel art where you want exact-pixel rendering.
For most presentations, Fit is the safest choice since nothing gets cropped. Use Fill or Smart Crop for a more cinematic look when your images extend beyond the screen aspect ratio.
Presentation Modes
Practice Mode
A single-screen fullscreen view ideal for rehearsing. Optional overlays:
- Timer overlay: Large countdown numbers on the slide
- Notes panel: Speaker notes appear on the right (editable during practice)
- Audio cues: Single beep at 5 seconds, double beep at 3 seconds remaining
Use ←/→ to navigate manually. Press Space to pause/resume.
Present Mode
Opens a separate audience window while you see a presenter view. Best used with two screens (your laptop and a projector or external monitor).
The presenter view shows:
- Current slide with progress bar and large countdown timer
- Next slide preview
- Elapsed and total time
- Editable notes (changes save automatically)
- Filmstrip with clickable thumbnails for quick navigation
Starting from a Specific Slide
Click a slide to select it before starting. A "Start from Slide N" button appears so you can jump straight to where you left off.
Position your presenter view on your laptop and drag the audience window to your external display. The audience window can be made fullscreen with F11 (or Ctrl+Cmd+F on Mac).
Timing Settings
Global Duration
The default slide duration is 20 seconds (classic PechaKucha timing). Change it in the Settings panel before starting. Common alternatives:
- 15 seconds: Faster pace, 5-minute presentation for 20 slides
- 20 seconds: Classic PechaKucha (6:40 for 20 slides)
- 30 seconds: Slower pace, good for complex visuals
Per-Slide Duration
Override timing for individual slides in the notes panel. The global default shows as a placeholder so you always know what the slide will use if left empty.
Saving and Exporting
Three buttons appear below the Start button:
Save Settings
Downloads a JSON file containing slide order (by filename), speaker notes, per-slide durations, per-slide display modes, focal points, title slide designation, and global settings. The file does not include the images themselves, only references to filenames.
Load Settings
Restores a previously saved configuration. To use it:
- Upload your images (use the same filenames as when you saved)
- Click "Load Settings" and select the JSON file
The player matches slides by filename. You can also drop the JSON file alongside your images during the initial upload.
Export PowerPoint
Downloads a .pptx file with your slides, auto-advance timings, and speaker notes. Each slide uses its assigned display mode for image placement:
- Fit / Letterbox: Image centered and contained within the slide
- Fill / Ken Burns: Image covers the full slide
- Smart Crop: Image cropped to the focal point you set
- Native: Image centered at its original dimensions
Save your settings before important events. If anything goes wrong, you can quickly restore your slide order, notes, and display modes.
During Presentation
Pausing
Press Space to pause the auto-advance timer. A "Paused" indicator appears. Press again to resume. Ken Burns animations also pause and resume smoothly.
Manual Navigation
Use ← and → to move between slides. In presenter mode, you can also click filmstrip thumbnails or use the Prev/Next buttons.
Exiting
Press Esc to exit and return to the editor. In presenter mode, click "Edit Slides" to return while keeping your audience window open.
Completion
After the last slide, a completion screen shows your total slide count and time. From here you can restart, edit slides, or begin a new presentation.
Keyboard Shortcuts
In Editor
| Undo delete | Ctrl/Cmd + Z |
| Close preview/lightbox | Esc |
| Reorder selected slide | ↑/↓ or ←/→ |
During Presentation
| Pause/Resume | Space |
| Previous slide | ← |
| Next slide | → |
| Exit presentation | Esc |
Tips for Great Presentations
- Practice until automatic. Run through multiple times until you can deliver each slide's content naturally within the time limit.
- Let images tell the story. Avoid text-heavy slides. The format rewards visual storytelling.
- Plan your transitions. Know exactly what you'll say as each slide appears. The auto-advance waits for no one.
- Embrace the constraint. The time limit keeps energy high and prevents rambling. Trust the format.
- Use the audio cues. The countdown beeps help you feel the rhythm without watching the timer.
- Preview your display modes. Check the thumbnail grid and the notes panel preview to make sure each slide looks right before presenting.
- Save your settings. A quick JSON export means you can restore everything if you need to start over or move to a different device.